1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a seat with an arm rest adjustable to either of two angular positions and to at least two heights with respect to the seat back, and utilized as a piece of furniture or as a passenger's seat mounted in an automotive vehicle, vessel, or air plane, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional seat comprises a seat, a seat back, and an arm rest supported by the seat back via a linkage so as to be free to tilt forward at an angle with respect to the seat back. The center portion of the seat back is provided with a recess in which the arm rest can be housed. The linkage between the seat back and arm rest comprises on each side of the arm rest a first bracket attached to a frame provided at the recess in the seat back, a second bracket attached to a frame along the longitudinal axis of the arm rest, and upper and lower links between the first and second brackets.
However, there is a drawback in a conventional seat as described above. Specifically, one end of each of the upper and lower links is merely rotatably fixed to the first bracket so that the height of the arm rest with respect to the seat is fixed when the arm rest is tilted forward so as to be approximately parallel to the seat. Consequently, free adjustment of the height for the arm rest is impossible. In addition, other kinds of seats may employ a bracket of a pin hinge type in the seat back in place of the bracket of the link type. The pin hinge type has the same drawback as the conventional seat of the link type.